MA1512 TUTORIAL 3

1. Solve the following differential equations:

(a) y ′′ + 6y ′ + 9y = 0, y(0) = 1, y ′ (0) = −1
(b) y ′′ − 2y ′ + (1 + 4π 2 )y = 0, y(0) = −2, y ′ (0) = 2(3π − 1)

2. Find particular solutions of the following:

(a) y ′′ + 2y ′ + 10y = 25x2 + 3 (b) y ′′ − 6y ′ + 8y = x2 e3x
(c) y ′′ − y = 2xsin(x) (d) y ′′ + 4y = sin2 (x)

3. Use the method of variation of parameters to find particular solutions of

(a) y ′′ + 4y = sin2 (x) (b) y ′′ + y = sec(x)

1
Question 4
A simple pendulum of length 1 metre is at rest at its stable equilibrium position. At time
t = 0, it is given an initial angular velocity of 1 radian per second. Neglecting friction,
determine the angular displacement of the pendulum at time t = 0.8 second. Take the
value of the gravitational constant g = 9.8 metre per second square. Give your answer
correct to two decimal places.

Question 5
A fully loaded large oil tanker can be modelled as a solid object with perfectly vertical
sides and a perfectly horizontal bottom, so all horizontal cross-sections have the same
area, equal to A. Archimedes’ principle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy] states
that the upward force exerted on a ship by the sea is equal to the weight of the water
pushed aside by the ship. Let ρ be the mass density of seawater, and let M be the mass
of the ship, so that its weight is Mg, where g is 9.8 m/sec2 . When the ship is at rest, find
the distance d from sea level to the bottom of the ship. This is called the draught of the
ship.
Suppose now that the ship is not at rest; instead it is moving in the vertical direction.
Let d + x(t) be the distance from sea level to the bottom of the ship, where d is the
draught as above. Show that, if gravity and buoyancy are the only forces q acting on the
ship, it will bob up and down with an angular frequency given by ω = ρ A g/M.
Next, suppose that waves from a storm strike the ship [which is initially at rest with
x(0) = 0] and exert a vertical force F0 cos(ωt) on the ship, where F0 is the amplitude
of the wave force. Let H be the height of the deck of the ship above sea level when the
ship is at rest. [We assume that the ship is heavily loaded, so H is much less than d.]
Write down a formula which allows you to compute when the ship sinks. [That is, find an
equation satisfied by tsink , the time at which the ship’s deck first goes under water. You
don’t need to solve this equation.]
CE Representative: Kevin Kuang (ceeksck@nus.edu.sg)

Application of ODE in Civil Engineering in the Design of Beams

Context

Buildings and bridges are made up of various elements such as beams, columns, walls and
foundations which are put together to ensure that the load they support (the dead-load of the
construction materials and the live-load of vehicles, people, furnishings, wind load, seismic load
etc.) can be safely transferred to the supporting foundation, piled deep into the ground.

Girders or beams, oriented horizontally in construction are made from steel, reinforced concrete
or timber and are have cross sections (typically “H” or ‘T’ shape) which provide maximum
flexural rigidity values. The design of the beams requires careful analysis of the loads they are
required to support. Examples of beams are shown below:

http://www.syntapa.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/MP9003993091.jpg http://landtransportguru.net/teck-lee-station/

One of the most important design criteria in the construction of large civil infrastructure is to
ensure minimal deflection of the beam under load. A large deflection of the beam (vertical
displacement due to dead- and live-loads) may lead to severe cracking of the beam and
consequently collapse of the structure. Beam design is carried out according to principles
outlined in the Code of Practice and the amount of deflection needs to be calculated, using
principle of mathematics and compare this figure to the acceptable value recommended in the
codes.

Engineering Background- Determining deflection by ODE

In a given beam set-up, the amount of deflection can be mathematically related to the load
acting on the beam through an equation called the Moment Equation. Given some simplification,
the moment equation is expressed as

𝑑2 𝑣
𝐸𝐼 =𝑀
𝑑𝑥 2
CE Representative: Kevin Kuang (ceeksck@nus.edu.sg)

Where v is the deflection, M is the moment function for a given beam set-up, E is the Young’s
Modulus, I is the beam’s moment of inertia about the neutral axis. EI, taken together represents
the beam flexural rigidity or resistance to bending and assume a constant for the length of the
beam, while x, is the distance from the origin (selected arbitrarily). The first derivative of v is
known as the slope of the bend at any point along the beam- used as a boundary condition.

Question 6- “Simply Supported Beam Uniformly Distributed Load”

Each simply supported floor joist shown in the photo is subjected to a uniform design loading of
4 kN/m. Determine the maximum deflection of the joist. EI is constant.

Given the moment function is as follows,

𝑥
𝑀 = 20𝑥 − 4𝑥 (2) = 20𝑥 − 2𝑥 2 .